| Venue: Lord’s Dates: 2-6 June |
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Being England’s Test captain will be a “learning curve” for Ben Stokes, says group-mate Jonny Bairstow.
All-rounder Stokes takes over the captaincy with England having only one win of their previous 17 Tests.
The first Test in opposition to New Zealand at Lord’s on Thursday will be the primary outing for England’s new captain and coach, Brendon McCullum.
“Not a lot will change from Ben Stokes the participant,” Bairstow informed BBC Test Match Special.
“The approach he goes about his bowling and his batting, it is all complete-hearted stuff and his captaincy will be the identical.
Stokes beforehand captained England within the first Test in opposition to West Indies in 2020, when former skipper Joe Root missed the match to attend the beginning of his second youngster.
He additionally led the one-day worldwide aspect to a 3-0 sequence victory over Pakistan final summer season after a Covid outbreak pressured England to call a completely new squad.
Middle-order batter Bairstow stated England supporters will need to be affected person in addition to excited for the group’s new period below Stokes as everlasting captain.
“It’s going to be a learning expertise for him as nicely,” he stated.
“We want to grasp and recognise that it’ll be a learning curve, however the expertise that he is received round him, and the visions that he is received are nice.
“If we will all pull collectively in the correct course, then it’ll be an thrilling model of cricket.”
Bairstow performed a key function in England’s white-ball transformation below Eoin Morgan that resulted of their 2019 World Cup win and says that a comparable transition is due for the Test aspect.
“It took a time frame for that transition to occur,” he added. “Everyone’s nicely conscious that it did not simply occur in a single day.
“But it was the best way by which somebody had the bravery to go: ‘Right. This is definitely the best way that we’ll play and we’ll keep on with that.’ And that particular person was Morgs [Eoin Morgan] and it is thrilling.”
England’s all-time main wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad are in competition to play the primary Test, having been unnoticed of the West Indies tour in March, however the hosts are lacking eight different tempo bowlers by way of harm.
Ollie Robinson was withdrawn on Thursday from the County XI who beat New Zealand in a heat-up due to stiffness in his decrease again.
England introduced on Monday that Robinson additionally examined optimistic for Covid-19 that day and will have his again harm assessed as soon as his isolation interval ends this week.
Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher have been dominated out for prolonged intervals with stress fractures of the again, whereas Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Olly Stone and Sam Curran have additionally been coping with accidents.
Reigning world Test champions New Zealand have named a 15-man squad for the three-match sequence however have stated that Trent Boult and Henry Nicholls could not characteristic within the first Test.
Batter Nicholls is recovering from a calf harm whereas quick bowler Boult is simply anticipated to reach within the UK on Monday, having performed within the Indian Premier League last on Sunday.
